Anti-terror operation started in Ukraine: President
Iran Press TV
Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:42PM GMT
Ukraine's acting president has announced "an anti-terror operation" in the east of the country amid escalating pro-Russian protests in the region.
Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov announced Tuesday that the operation is being conducted in the "north of Donetsk region" to root out what he called separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The aim of the operation is to "protect Ukrainian citizens, to stop the terror, to stop the crime, to stop the attempts to tear our country apart," Turchynov said.
The statement comes as pro-Russian protesters continue to occupy government, police and other administrative buildings in nearly 10 cities in the Russian-speaking east of the country.
Protesters fortified their positions and set up additional barricades as reports showed Kiev has begun collecting troops and tanks near the east of the country for an imminent assault.
Horlivka is the latest city where protests to join Russia are taking place.
The cities of Donetsk and Kharkiv have already announced independence from the Kiev government.
Major cities in eastern and southern Ukraine have been seeking to separate from the country after the Crimean peninsula joined Russia last month.
The move sparked angry reactions from the United States and the European Union, both imposing punitive measures against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.
GMA/PR/SL
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